EmeraldIsle

Furze: "Any leguminous plant of the genus Ulex, especially Ulex europaeus, a low, many-branched, spiny shrub having yellow flowers, common on wastelands in Europe. Also called, esp. British gorse." -- Random House Dictionary of the English Language

SiobhanP

I think there are several names for this depending on who you talk to in Ireland. My father tells me its a Whin Bush or at least thats what they called it in Cavan where he grew up. I think my mother who grew up further souT in Ireland has another name but I cannot remember.

irisheyes58

I also saw these yellow flowers. Someone said that in the spring time you can make wine from it, but when it blooms in the fall you can't. Can anyone verify this?
thanks

cambe

The Whin/Gorse is usually in bloom March/April and grows on hilly banks.

Don't know about making wine from it but as children we used to collect it and put it in the water we boiled our eggs in at Easter. It turned the eggs a wonderful yellow colour which we then painted faces onto them and rolled them down a hill on Easter Sunday.

Haven't seen anyone do this in years though. Alas it's a tradition that seems to have almost died out.

marshacarlin

During our End of April beginning of May trip to Ireland the gorse was in full bloom. But so was the rapeseed in Scotland--fields of it......the gorse is midsized bushes that are prickly (poor Whinnie the Pooh!)
Someone also told us the saying:
"Out of Gorse,
Out of Love."--I wrote it in my album under the pictures.

helenbreen

Smoot, we were in Scotland in late May and were astounded by the sight of these magnificent deep yellow fields as we flew into Edinburgh. Saw them again throughout the countryside. We were told they were rapeseed. I had never seen them in Ireland - but then I have only been in Ireland in mid or late summer. Beautiful!

Worktowander

I had the same question when I was in Ireland in March of '03. I eventually found myself in a pub (how did that happen?) conversing with two truck drivers. The conversation eventually got around to how we liked Ireland, so I asked them about this bush with the yellow flowers everywhere.

Described it one way. Described it another way. No luck. It was ubiquitous, but apparently so common they'd stopped seeing it.

Described it this way. That way. Finally, an answer from my friendly truck drivers:

It's "Havenna aclew bush," they said.

I'm pretty sure it's gorse.

Gardyloo

I think Gorse is the most common name; whin I think is the Gaelic name. Broom looks similar but is a different plant (look at the flowers and leaves up close.)

jtune

We saw the same plants and asked some professional landscapers.They told us the tall yellow was broom plant & the smaller yellow was gorse.

Al_Mo

I suspect it was probably Gorse/furze, not a great Agri person myself, but don't think there are no large managed fields in that part of the country.